The invention relates to movable equipment, especially for medical exercise and treatment purposes.
Equilibrium disorders and development deficiencies in this respect, which occur frequently particularly in children, represent appreciable problems for the persons affected. These problems can be counteracted by equilibrium exercises using motor-operated movement courses, so that it is possible to promote the sense of equilibrium. The previously known exercise possibilities and apparatuses, however, permit only limited exercise. There is therefore a need for a suitable apparatus, with which psychomotor training, beneficial from medical points of view is possible for persons afflicted with equilibrium disorders.
Aside from these urgent medical problems, the invention attempts to find a remedy also in a different field, namely that of mobile toys, also those in the form of an animal. Such toys are known in various forms. In order to create an incentive for children to play, which is the basis for occupying themselves with the toy, it is necessary to configure the purpose and value of the play as interestingly as possible. Especially for toys in the form of animals, this can be attained particularly by attempting to imitate in as lifelike a fashion as possible the motion of the imitated, stylized animal, as far as this is possible within the scope of the mechanics, which can be used. At the same time, in order to increase the purpose of the play, the lifelike movement should be initiated with the cooperation of the child, who is seated on the toy. This objective, however, is not attained or is attained only inadequately with known toys. As a rule, such toys are constructed so that, although they have a seat for accommodating the child, they are in contact with the floor through rollers or the like, by means of which motion can be brought about by the child, when the feet of the child are braced against the floor. Such a toy is described, for example, in the German publication 295 15 785 U1. However, motion, which comes even only close to that of the stylized animal, is not achieved with such a toy.
These two initial problems become connected when it is a question of the medical treatment of children. After all, it is well known that children, who are to be treated, prefer to occupy themselves with medical exercise equipment, etc., if they receive a playful incentive for doing so.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an apparatus, which can be used particularly for psychomotor exercise.